Ironing (metalworking)

Ironing is a sheet metal forming process that uniformly thins the workpiece in a specific area.

This process involves using force to evenly flatten a piece of sheet metal into a uniform shape.

For the process, the piece of metal is placed against a tool that presses it forward, called a "Punch".

This also results in the piece being made longer, as the process spreads the metal out more rather than removing any of it.

Deep drawing and Ironing are also heavily used in the automotive industry for making parts.

Soda cans, a common example of Ironing.
Metal and Dies before process
Punch is introduced, begins pushing metal against the Die
After the process is finished, the metal is now flattened and pressed down to the desired size, also making it longer.